Stay Safe
by Sprocket07
Summary: Ravio x Link. Link's on the verge of death. Fluff. No spoilers for ALBW. There needs to be more of this ship.


Link dragged his sword along the ground, weakly holding up his lantern to light the path in front of him. The feeble light reflected off the mossy walls and off puddles on the stone flooring. There seemed to be no end to this massive cavern. Link sighed and checked his bag for a potion, fruit, fairy, anything he might have missed despite searching his inventory over and over, to no avail.

Once again he lifted his lantern only to stare straight into the beady eyes of a rat. The creature stared at Link before lunging forward and clamping its jaws around his ankle. He yelled and spun, successfully hitting the rodent, but dropping his lantern in the process.

The rodent was thrown into the darkness, along with the lantern which fizzled and died, spilling its oil onto the ground. Link limped over to the wall and collapsed against its damp surface, dropping his sword next to him. It was dark. Pitch black, even. Link's ankle throbbed painfully from where the rat had sunk its fangs into him. He could feel blood starting to trickle into his boot but he just didn't have the energy to examine the wound further. After all, what use would that be? He was going to die here anyway.

To think, after all he had gone through to get this far, defeated by a simple rat. Link sighed and leaned his head against the wall. He could still feel the many other gashes, bruises, and scrapes from other enemies in this dungeon. How long had it been since he had felt the soothing touch of a fairy, or the energy a potion gave him?

He closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. The sound of water dripping into puddles was almost soothing. If he thought for a moment, he could almost hear footsteps among the gentle water drops. No doubt an approaching enemy come to finish him off.

The footsteps drew closer, accompanied by the rustle of fabric. Still, Link's eyes remained peacefully closed. The footsteps paused, and he could hear the clatter of metal on stone. Suddenly, a bright light illuminated the cave and Link's eyes flew open in surprise. After adjusting to the sudden beacon amidst the sea of black, Link was surprised to see none other than Ravio standing over him, clutching his broken lantern.

"R-Ravio… What are you doing here?" Link rasped.

Ravio smiled from behind his purple bunny mask, "Ssh, save your breath, okay, Mr. Hero? Hmm…" He said, digging through a bag at his side, "I didn't bring any potions with me, so I guess there's nothing for it." He tucked the broken lantern into the bag and gently grabbed hold of Link, slinging the hero over his shoulder with surprising ease. Link gasped as he was lifted into the air.

"Alright Sheerow! Lead the way!" Ravio said cheerily. Link vaguely heard the bird tweet before he gave into his fatigue and passed out over his friend's shoulder.

Link awoke to the warm scent of soup being made. He was back in his bed at home, nestled in the soft blankets. He opened his eyes blearily and looked around to find Ravio sitting on a stool next to him, staring intently in his direction. Link yelped in surprise and sat up immediately.

"You have to stop doing that!" Link said indignantly, scooting backwards, away from the purple-clad merchant.

Ravio laughed, "Sorry, hero! I was just keeping an eye on you to make sure you, er, were holding up alright!" He hopped up and bustled over to the fire, stirring the soup and ladeling it into a bowl, "Here you go!" He said bringing it over, "Hope you like it," He said smiling.

Link held the hot bowl gingerly. It smelled delicious. He brought it up to his lips, ignoring the heat, and drank it all at once. He passed the bowl back to Ravio, who put it on the table at the other side of the room, "I took the liberty of bandaging that awful bite on your ankle, as well as all the other injuries you had. There were a lot!"

"Hey thanks…" Link said, pushing back the soft covers to examine his ankle. A thick gauze had been wrapped around it, and the pain was almost entirely gone. He had a fair few bandages throughout the rest of his body as well. He turned to Ravio, "You really didn't need to, you know. I could have done it myself later."

Ravio shook his head vigorously, "No no! I'm more than happy to help! After all it's the least I could do for letting me stay." He said, blushing slightly behind his mask.

"How did you find me all the way in that dungeon, anyway?" Link asked, oblivious to Ravio's embarrassment.

"Um… Sheerow helped me find you! Yeah, that's it, heheh…" Ravio laughed. Truth be told, Ravio had actually been keeping a close eye on Link. As much as he relied on Link renting items he needed when he fell in battle, he worried as the hero started returning in worse and worse shape over time.

"Well thanks, Sheerow." Link said, grinning at the little bird. Said bird tweeted from its perch on the back of He hopped out of bed, testing his weight on his injured ankle. It seemed to be fine. He felt almost no pain, save for the occasional twinge. Link grabbed his sword and shield, strapping both to his back.

"You're not leaving already, are you?" Ravio asked.

"I've gotta run! That dungeon isn't going to beat itself, is it?" Link said, "Oh that reminds me!" He rummaged through his bag, surprised to find the items he had previously rented were still there. "Uh, don't you want me to rent these out again?"

"N-No! I mean…" Ravio said, twiddling his thumbs, "I just thought, you know… Um… A special gift from Ravio! Yes! Haha, after all, you deserve it, Mr. Hero! But you'll have to pay next time."

Link smiled, shaking his head in amusement at the merchant. A break from paying so many rupees was welcome anytime, "Thanks! Well, see you." Link waved and opened the door. He was stopped by a shrill cry behind him.

"Wait! Link!" Ravio said running up to the other boy. Link turned around just in time for Ravio to barrel into him, knocking him backwards out the door and onto the grass outside. The green clad hero groaned, sitting up and rubbing his head.

"What the-! Why did you just-" He was cut off by Ravio wrapping his arms around his torso from his awkward position on the ground. The merchant lifted his mask just above his nose, revealing a sly grin. He pressed their mouths together in a quick kiss before hugging the Hero of Hyrule once more.

"Stay safe, will you?" Ravio whispered into his ear before dashing back into Link's house, leaving the latter to sit on the ground in stunned silence.


End file.
